Officials Say Reduced Hours Coming For Poquonock Post Office

U.S. Postal Service representatives and Poqounock residents discuss a proposal to reduce hours at the local post office.

U.S. Postal Service representatives and Poqounock residents discuss a proposal to reduce hours at the local post office. (Steven Goode)

STEVEN GOODE, sgoode@courant.com

WINDSOR — About 24 Poquonock residents met with postal officials Wednesday to learn the results of a recent survey and discuss the future of their village post office.

The U.S. Postal Service had sought comments from its Poquonock customers about what proposed service changes they would prefer as the post office implements cost-cutting measures aimed at reducing large annual deficits.

Other options, which each received support of 1 percent of respondents, were: conducting discontinuance studies, roadside mailbox delivery, postal services at an alternative location operated by a business, or a post office box at another post office. Five percent made no choice.

Postal officials told the residents that they planned to recommend reducing the Poquonock post office's hours by one hour a day, Monday through Friday, opening at 9:30 a.m. instead of 8:30 a.m.

"This whole plan came to be to keep the post office open," said Christine Dugas, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Service. "Otherwise we'd be closing 3,500 post offices."

Dugas, who noted that the postal service was losing $20 million a day, said the agency was adjusting hours at about 13,000 post offices in the hopes of realizing about $500 million in annual savings.

"We are up to our eyeballs in debt, so this is the least painful way," Dugas said.

Several residents who attended the meeting still questioned the proposed change, saying that later opening hours would hurt the post office's business even more because people on their way to work would not be able to get counter service. The post office box area would still be open at 8:30 a.m.

"I'm really disappointed in these hours — you are setting it up to fail," said resident Rosemarie Miskavitch.

"This is more than just a post office, it's the hub of an area."

Some residents also suggested that the post office open a half hour earlier in the morning and a half hour later in the afternoon to allow people going to and from work to get counter service.

Richard Paskewitz, acting manager of post office operations, said the residents' recommendations would be taken into consideration before a final decision is made. Paskewitz said the decision would probably be reached in the next 60 to 90 days and that residents would be given 30 days notice before changes are implemented.